NASA Educators Online Network (NEON) is a part of the NASA Aerospace Education Services Project (AESP). The network provides professional development opportunities for K-12 educators to support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

Free Education Webinar Series from the Aerospace Education Services Project

The Aerospace Education Services Project is presenting a series of free webinars throughout July 2012. All webinars can be accessed online. Join aerospace education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources to bring NASA into your classroom.

Looking at the Sun (Grades 2-8)July 13, 2012, 3 – 4 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Rick Varner will present sun-Earth-moon models that help to explain the phases of the moon, and both lunar and solar eclipses. Additionally, the activity Kinesthetic Astronomy will be introduced for its explanation of the seasons.

Putting NEON to Work for You, Part 2 (Grades K-12)July 14, 2012, noon – 1 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Anne Weiss explains how to use the NASA Educators Online Network, or NEON’s, most important feature: the interest groups. Participants will role-play several scenarios to find out how NEON’s various tools can be used to find NASA activities that align to state-specific standards.

Messenger’s Mission to Mercury (Grades K-12 and Informal)July 17, 2012, 10 – 11 a.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Brandon Hargis will provide an overview of the Messenger Mission along with lessons and activities connected to the mission. Attendees will visit the Messenger Mission website to get a glimpse of available resources , investigate stratification of lava layers and take core samples to make observations and inferences.

Kepler Mission: Searching for Earth-like Planets (Grades 6-12)July 18, 2012, 7 – 8:15 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Tony Leavitt will discuss NASA’s Kepler Mission. Kepler has been in space for three years searching for planets that are orbiting stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Participants will learn how transits are used to find planets and determine their sizes and distances from the stars they orbit.

Understanding Earth, Moon and Sun Connections (Grades K-12)July 23, 2012, 2 – 3 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Sonya Williams will build on participants’ understanding of moon phases and the solar system to help them gain a better understanding of Earth, moon and sun connections. Participants will listen to a Native American/Western science story and take part in a hands-on activity.

Classroom Lunacy: Studying the Moon (Grades K-12 and Informal)July 24, 2012, 10 – 11 a.m. EDT
Aerospace education Brandon Hargis will share NASA resources that will help participants develop lessons about the phenomena of moon phases and eclipses. Recent discoveries from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite missions will be shared during this activity.

Food for Thought (Grades 5-8)July 24, 2012, 11 a.m. – noon EDT
Aerospace education Steve Culivan will share “Food for Thought,” a new NASA educator guide designed to explore space food and the nutritional needs of the astronauts. The guide includes a menu of inquiry activities and other resources to address this exciting topic.

Applying the Engineering Design Process to STEM Topics (Grades K-12)July 24, 2012, 6 – 7 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist John Weis will lead this webinar where educators will discuss implementing the engineering design process as a method of problem solving in subject areas other than engineering.

Get Ready for the Landing of the Curiosity Rover (Grades K-12 and Informal)July 25, 2012, 4 – 5 p.m. EDT
NASA’s newest Mars rover, Curiosity, is getting ready to land on Mars. Join aerospace education specialist Tom Estill to learn about Mars education resources available to formal and informal educators. Learn about Mars games, classroom activities, projects and e-learning opportunities, all to help you prepare for the upcoming Curiosity landing.

Living and Working in Space (Grades K-5)July 26, 2012, 9 – 10 a.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Wil Robertson will introduce teachers to some of the obstacles humans face while traveling in space. The webinar will review the major difficulties and concerns of adapting to the space environment, from everyday living and personal hygiene to safety.

NASA Engineering Design Challenge: Can You Deliver? “Touchdown!” (Grades 5-10)July 26, 2012, 7 – 8 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Tony Leavitt will share an activity that challenges students to safely deliver a cargo to the surface of Mars. This activity introduces students to the engineering design process, from brainstorming to writing a summary report. Given a particular set of materials, student teams design, build and test prototypes.

Putting NEON to Work for You, Part 2 (Grades K-12)July 26, 2012, 9- 10 a.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Anne Weiss explains how to use the NASA Educators Online Network, or NEON’s, most important feature: the interest groups. Participants will role-play several scenarios to find out how NEON’s various tools can be used to find NASA activities that align to state-specific standards.

For more information about these webinars, and to see a full list of webinars taking place through August 2012, visit http://neon.psu.edu/webinars/.

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Join the Satellite Educators Association for an education conference being held Aug. 9-11, 2012, in Los Angeles, Calif. The annual conference is for educators interested in discovering ways to use satellites and related technologies in the classroom. Participants learn ways to help students appreciate and understand the complex interrelationships among science, technology, individuals, societies and the environment. Conference attendees learn to develop and apply inquiry and technology skills to study authentic questions and problems.

In conjunction with this year’s conference, a two-day training session for the GLOBE program will take place Aug. 10-11.

The conference is hosted by California State University, Los Angeles. The event is sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, Aerospace Institute, Boeing, Raytheon, SpaceX, Lockheed-Martin, Sally Ride Science Festivals, Traveling Space Museum, Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence’s West location and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

NASA Explorer Schools and the National Science Teachers Association are hosting a 90-minute live professional development Web seminar for educators on June 28, 2012, at 2 p.m. EDT. Space is a harsh environment. When an astronaut goes into space, his or her body immediately begins to change, causing the astronaut to feel and even look slightly different. During this seminar, you will get information about the effects of microgravity on astronauts. You also will be guided through three student activities, which provide a first-hand look at the effects of reduced gravity on bones, the fluid shifts in the body and the amount of oxygen needed to survive.

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Attend a free webinar, June 20, 2012 – Chemistry of Water: Mars Exploration – Is There Water on Mars?

Chemistry of Water: Mars Exploration – Is There Water on Mars? Web Seminar

As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences for educators, the NASA Explorer Schools project and the National Science Teachers Association are hosting a 90-minute Web seminar on June 20, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. EDT. “Chemistry of Water: Mars Exploration — Is There Water on Mars?” is an inquiry-based lesson on how atmospheric pressure and vapor pressure affect the boiling point of water. See why the boiling point of water is pressure-dependent, rather than temperature-dependent. Then, by extension, you will deduce if there could be liquid water on Mars.

In September 2012, the NASA Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) will host an online workshop focused on the use of the pioneering data visualization and analysis tool, Giovanni. The online workshop will be organized around four main themes: Earth system research utilizing Giovanni; Giovanni applications (air quality, disaster management, environmental monitoring, etc.); planned and desired augmentation of Giovanni; and educational use of Giovanni. The workshop will primarily consist of online author-led presentations coupled with real-time discussions about these presentations. Presentations and chat logs will be available online for review, for those not able to participate in live sessions. To indicate interest, please email Dr. James G. Acker, (james.g.acker (at) nasa.gov) or visit the workshop website for more information.

NASA Explorer Schools and the National Science Teachers Association are hosting a 90-minute live professional development Web seminar for educators on June 12, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. EDT. The seminar focuses on human physiology. Obtain information about the effect microgravity has on the physiology of astronauts and learn about the countermeasures NASA uses to help overcome these effects when they return to Earth.

Outer space is an exciting part of our lives and promises to be an even more exciting part of the future for your students. It provides scientists with a unique laboratory, allowing scientific studies never possible in the history of civilization. Future space missions will continue to involve sending humans into space. But after extended stays in microgravity, astronauts must return safely to Earth and lead normal, healthy lives.

This seminar will provide instruction on how to integrate the Skeletal System: Human Physiology in Space lesson into your curriculum. There are two classroom activities in this lesson focusing on the effects of spaceflight on human physiology.

The Aerospace Education Services Project is presenting a series of free webinars through June 2012. All webinars can be accessed online. Join aerospace education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources to bring NASA into your classroom.

Understanding Earth, Moon and Sun Connections (Grades K-8)June 12, 2012, 2 – 3 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Sonja Williams will introduce cultural perspectives related to the phases of the moon and the solar system. Attendees will participate in an activity based upon a Native American/Western science story. Participants will receive culturally relevant materials related to stars and constellations that they can share with their students.

NASA in the Classroom (Grades K-12)June 12, 2012, 4 – 5 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Tom Estill will introduce K-12 teachers to various NASA education resources. Participants will learn how to find science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, lesson plans, current teacher/student opportunities and NASA videos for classroom use. Teachers will also be shown how to use local NASA-related resources.

The Real Lord of the Ring (Grades K-4)June 13, 2012, 6 – 7 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Alexis Harry will introduce teachers to a set of lessons that enhance basic communication skills through scientific exploration based on the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. Throughout the lessons, participants practice a variety of language arts skills, including descriptive writing, note-taking, poetry, illustration and oral communication.

Mars Uncovered: Revealing the Geologic History of Mars (Grades 5-12)June 18, 2012, 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Tony Leavitt will share an inquiry-based lesson that presents a critical-thinking approach of studying the surface of Mars. This process is similar to the approach used by NASA scientists. This lesson will teach students to examine geologic features of a planetary surface and use relative-age dating techniques to analyze the information and interpret the geologic history.

Sun-Earth-Moon Relationships (Grades 2-8)June 20, 2012, noon – 1 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Rick Varner will present sun-Earth-moon models that help to explain the phases of the moon, and both lunar and solar eclipses. Additionally, the activity Kinesthetic Astronomy will be introduced for its explanation of the seasons.

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OSGC maintains a diverse array of programs to support space science and engineering and aims to help develop a strong science, mathematics, and technology education base at all educational levels. Our blog is designed for easy access to both educators and the general public. We hope that you will find the site useful. You may also want to visit our primary website for more information regarding many of the programs administered by the Oregon Space Grant Consortium.